JK police seeks ED''s help in Yaseen Malik funds case

14 April 2002The Daily Excelsior

New Delhi: Days after Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Farooq Abdullah declared that the police had got important clues in the recovery of one lakh US dollar allegedly meant for JKLF chief and Hurriyat leader Yaseen Malik, the State police has approached the enforcement directorate to probe the flow of foreign funds. Official sources told PTI that a request had been forwarded to ED’s office at Jalandhar asking the directorate to join the investigations. ''We will weigh the legalities of the request and take a decision soon,'' ED sources said. Confirming this, a senior police officer, associated with the investigations of the case, said since ED had the expertise of probing hawala transactions, it would be appropriate to seek their assistance to ascertain the source of funding allegedly to Malik. JKLF chief was arrested under POTO on March 25 in connection with the seizure of one lakh US dollars allegedly meant for the separatist outfit from one Shazia Begum and Mushtaq Ahmed Dar. Abdullah had said the police had collected details about the entire case following investigation by a team deputed to Nepal from where the money was reportedly given by a Pakistan-based JKLF activist to the woman. The state police has claimed to have got vital clues about the case and was preparing to move the court soon with the details, the sources said. The police officials said if the ED heeded to its request, a permission from the court could be sought to interrogate and examine all of them including Malik. Malik, who had been remanded to seven days of police custody after his arrest, had complained of chest pain and had to be admitted to Jammu Medical College. However, after being declared fit for interrogation, the JKLF chief started hunger strike following which his trusted lieutenant and the so-called Chief Election Commissioner of Hurriyat’s parallel Election Commission Tapan Bose sought directions from a court to send him to judicial custody. About the ED’s role, the officials said the body could help in finding more details of the route through which the money came into the country and further to the State. In the meantime, the sources claimed another us-based trusted lieutentant of Malik, who runs an organisation propagating independent Kashmir, had been instrumental in raising the funds for the JKLF chief. The State Government was contemplating an appropriate action against him once his role was established beyond doubt, they said, adding ''till now only his name has been revealed by one of the accused arrested in the case.''